In the early days of the Industrial Revolution when heat engines were first invented, they were adapted for agricultural purposes by using them to drive winches at fixed locations to pull cables across the field. Various implements, of course, were attached to the cables. The next change which was suggested, was to house the engines on large bridge structures which could either be pulled across the ground, or be driven from stationary engines mounted thereon. With this arrangement, fixed shafting on the bridge structure could be used to operate vertical shafts to which agricultural tools were attached. Such a disclosure is shown, for example, in the early U.S. Romaine Pat. No. 292,511. Obviously, such a structure was cumbersome and unworkable, and the art then moved in the direction of self-propelled traction units called "tractors."
The bulk of the commercially successful prior art agricultural machinery is based on being driven by a propelling vehicle called a "tractor" which supplies the motive force for various draw-behind attachments, each of which performs a separate and distinct agricultural chore, such as tilling, planting, fertilizing, harvesting, etc. In many instances the draw-behind implements are supported on wheels, and the turning of these wheels is used to drive power shafts for the mechanical motion that is necessary on the implement. In other instances the mechanical implement structures are driven from power take offs on the rear of the tractors. In more recent developments, self-propelled implements have been developed wherein a motor is provided on the individual implement to not only make the implement self-propelling, but to drive the mechanical machinery that is a part of the implement. This development took place first in combines for harvesting and thrashing grain, and later was utilized in other harvesting machines for harvesting alfalfa, tomatoes, pickles, etc.
In still another development, the wheels were taken off of the various specialized agricultural implements and the implements were supported from the tractor by means of a three-point hitch to permit greater maneuverability and a shorter turning radius. In general, however, those implements which have been best adapted to the three-point hitch arrangement have been implements of a design which did not contain power driven machinery, but were dragged across the surface of the ground to cultivate the same.
With this background in mind, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a single do-all machine that does the work of several individual machines, such as a tiller, planter, fertilizer and lime spreader, sprayer and harvester, thus reducing the investment and depreciation involved in separate machines. Whereas the individual machines are used only for a short period each year and remain idle for the rest of the year during which they are depreciating, the present do-all machine can be utilized throughout the year.
Another object is to provide a do-all machine with numerous advantages such as lowering crop production costs, speed up agricultural operations, use minimum tillage, and other many advantages.
Other objects are to provide a do-all machine which is simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture, rugged in construction, easy to use, and efficient in operation.